Peden, Gordon James Died

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Personal Information

Rank P/O
Forename(s) Gordon James
Surname Peden
Gender M
Age 21
Date of Death 31-03-1945
Next of Kin Son of Thomas Peden and Elizabeth Jane Peden (Williamson), of Saanich, British Columbia, Canada.
PEDEN GJ

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Handley Page Halifax III
Serial Number MZ922
Markings 6U-C

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Runnymede Memorial
Grave Reference Panel 281.

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 224
PEDEN GJ

Location

Row -
Panel 224
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 2
Panel Number 224

Enlistment Information

Service Number J/95473
Service Royal Canadian Air Force
Group 6
Squadron 415 (Swordfish)
Squadron Motto Ad metam (To the mark)
Trade Air Gunner
Country of Origin Canada

Other Memorials

Location Village Centre, Sutton on the Forest, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone & Metal Sun Dial
Memorial Text A memorial to all those who served at RAF East Moor and in particular 415 Sqn RCAF
Location Allerton Park Castle, Allerton, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text Memorial Garden dedicated to the 4272 personnel of 6 (RCAF) Gp based at Allerton Castle who gave the ultimate sacrifice during WWII to preserve our freedom
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Propeller Unit & Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text Dedicated to the men & women of 6 (RCAF) Gp Bomber Command and to the 9980 Canadians lost serving in Bomber Command.

Miscellaneous Information

Gordon was born on 18 June 1923 at Saanich, British Columbia. His father was born in Scotland and worked as a pipe fitter and his mother was born at Eburne, Vancouver. He had four sisters: Jean, Mary, May and Eileen. He attended George Jay school 1935-1938 and Central Junior High, Victoria 1938-1939 (IX). Gordon enjoyed all sports and bike riding. Between 1939-1940 he worked as a messenger boy for CPR, then as a motorcycle mechanic for R. Shanks & Co. between 1940-1941. He ended up working for B. Wilson Ice Company as a driver, 1941-1942 in Victoria and then joined the army.
After enlisting on 12 October 1943 and initial training he was posted to the U.K. and embarked from Halifax on 16 June 1944. He arrived at 3(RCAF) PRC on 25 June 1944 then to 22 OTU 25 July 1944, 61 Base 15 October 1944, and 415 Squadron 30 December 1944. Sadly Gordon was to lose his life on 31 March, 1945.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1813/20
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1813/20

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Anderson G (P/O) Died
Hyland G A (F/O) Died
Lewis T S (F/O) Died
Neilson J A (P/O) Died
Rude G J (P/O) Died
Suttak J E (F/O) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 31-03-1945
End Date 31-03-1945
Takeoff Station East Moor
Day/Night Raid Day
Operation Hamburg to attack the Blohm and Voss shipbuilding yards, where a new class of U-boats was being assembled. 469 aircraft, 11 lost due to a surprise appearance of the new Me 262 jet-propelled fighter. It was it's only appearance in fact. The target was completely cloud-covered so bombing was scattered throughout Hamburg with little damage to the intended target
Reason for Aircraft Loss Some sources state that this aircraft was shot down by a jet-propelled fighter (Me 262) whereas it is highly likely it collided with KB761 on the return leg and crashed into the sea. A collision between a Lancaster and a Halifax was seen by several other crews and five parachutes were also seen but sadly any survivors must have perished in the water.
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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.